Page 28 of Bargain with Fate
“No. I preferred physical activity.” Ronald’s dry cough morphed into a choking sound.
“Ronald was on every athletic team in the Neighborhood until he became ill,” Dr. Adam said, entering the room with a mug of broth. “I played in a volleyball game with him only two weeks ago. He was perfectly fit.”
He wasn’t kidding about quick and drastic. It was hard to imagine that the elf in front of me was spiking volleyballs only two weeks ago.
“Has this woman been in your condo?” I asked. Maybe it was such a poor rendition because he’d only seen a shadow.
Ronald slurped the broth. “No. I made her up.”
I shot a quizzical look at Dr. Adam. “When’s the last time you were in a relationship, Ronald?”
He stared into his mug. “Last year. Aimee.”
“What happened with Aimee?” I asked. “Why did you break up?”
“She died,” Dr. Adam answered for him.
Oh. “Are these sketches of Aimee?” I asked.
“No. Aimee was an elf like me.” Ronald made a guttural sound as he handed the empty mug to Dr. Adam. “I’m tired.” A yawn punctuated his statement.
“We’ll leave you alone, then,” Dr. Adam said. “I’ll come back to check on you later. Pleasant dreams.”
“Always,” Ronald said with a faint smile, and slid down to rest his head on the pillows.
“Are you sure his condition isn’t psychological?” I asked, once we were in the living room.
“Because of Aimee?”
“Possibly. Maybe the woman in the drawings is a representation of his grief, and he’s more interested in spending time asleep so he can visit her.” If that was the case, then these drawings weren’t keeping him grounded, they were helping him to lose his grip on reality.
“I suppose that would explain the test results, if his issues are all in his head and self-inflicted.” He raked a hand through his hero hair. “My only reservation is that he’s been perfectly normal until two weeks ago. If he’s been grieving Aimee, why so suddenly, and why now? I’m convinced there’s an unnatural influence at work.”
“Is it the anniversary of her death?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to check my records.”
“Did she die unexpectedly?”
“Heart attack,” Dr. Adam said. “She’d still been physically active right up until her death. It’s not uncommon.”
“If he hasn’t dated anyone since Aimee, maybe he’s been suppressing his grief instead of dealing with it.”
“It’s possible.” He paused. “On that note, I’ve been meaning to ask—how are you?”
“Fine. How are you?”
His tender expression remained unchanged. “You must still be grieving Judd.”
“Of course.” Although I knew I didn’t sound like it. To an outsider, I sounded like an automated telephone prompt.
“If you ever want to talk, my door is always open. Doesn’t need to be in my official capacity. We can be two friends having an earnest conversation.”
“I appreciate the offer.” I dropped my voice to a whisper, on the off chance that Ronald could hear us. “Would you mind if I warded Ronald’s bedroom?”
A smile played upon his lips. “Since when do wards protect us against grief?”
“Just in case this has something to do with the shadow.” I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way that I was wrong.
